The Brand Coach™ Deborah O’Grady is a highly valued, experienced, marketeer who’s been the brains behind many disruptive brands. Having been on the winning team of the First Direct brand back in the 90’s , evolving the Silentnight brand to No.1 in its market, bringing Nivea to men and Irn Bru to boys, she knows how to create and roll out brands that pack a punch.
Also having worked with John Lewis, Hugo Boss and award winning ad agencies before establishing on her own, she has learnt from the best. Now Deborah is bringing her knowledge to the entrepreneurial market, working to excite, educate and empower ambitious business owners either starting out or looking for next level growth. Deborah is committed to ensuring her clients gain the clarity and confidence needed to attract a buying audience showing them brand building isn’t just for the big boys.
The Brand Coach™ Deborah O’Grady said: “In the age of social media where Insta stories are considered strategic marketing you can ‘launch a brand’ in a day, but without creating those solid foundations of a business, its all guesswork. Research and planning is key; understanding your market, researching your audience and really getting under the skin of your customer and creating a brand that will stand the test of time. This works for the big brands so why would smaller businesses not follow suit?”
“Everyone is looking for shortcuts these days, for quick fixes and this scares me. It scares me because there’s no longevity in it, and no depth of connection to their audience. As soon as you put any type of communications out there, be it strategic or not, you have created a brand – as brands are built on in the mind of your consumers – the question is – are you influencing their perception in the right way, and steering it to influence what you want them to think, or are just leaving it all to chance…?
“There are ways entrepreneurs can incorporate strategy used by the big boys, to provide them with a stronger brand that will stand the test of time, and that’s where I’m here to help with, through my coaching and my brand model process”. Helping her clients to create strong brands is so important to her as she knows that with this comes confidence and clarity – something she wants to empower more fellow entrepreneurs with.
Deborah continues; “I know how it feels to start a business from scratch – it can be a confusing and anxious time as we feel out of our depth and often lose our direction. With so many businesses still failing before they hit the 5 year mark, we need to start removing the risk of this. What removes risk? Research? What brings confidence and clarity? Having a strategy. It’s time to say ’no more’ to winging it on facebook and for ambitious entrepreneurs to take their brand marketing seriously if they really want to make a longterm impact.”
So you don’t think you’re a brand? You’re a small business and probably thinking ‘do I really need a brand?’
The answer is yes.
Whether you’re a large or small business; if you have a business, then you have a brand. A brand is the foundation of your business. It’s your unique blueprint, your voice in the world and sets you apart from your competitors.
Still not convinced? Here’s 5 reasons why having a strong brand is important:
1.Builds credibility
If you want people to trust that you can deliver, you need to look the part. A well-designed brand is important to build credibility. Think about what you stand for and communicate that to your customers in everything you do, from the colours you choose to the words you use. Image is critical when standing out from the crowd.
2.Attracts the right kind of customers
Your brand makes promises to your customers. People are more likely to purchase from a business they trust. Emotional reactions are hardwired into our brains and those reactions are real influencers. Your brand will help communicate your ideals and values, attracting customers who share those same values.
3.Makes you memorable
A strong brand makes you memorable, in the right way. Your customers have to remember you to be able to recommend you. Identify elements of your business that are different from your competitors, and showcase them in unique ways.
4.Enables premium pricing
Clients are more willing to pay a premium price for a brand that looks established and communicates an offering they can relate to and trust.
5.Creates unity
Having a strong brand creates unity among all who work with you and for you. Communicating your values through your brand will attract like-minded people who share in you sense of purpose and will understand your boundaries.
For more information please connect via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahogrady or visit www.thebrandcoach.co.uk